4B
KU 71 - KSU 62
THE UNIVERSITY HARLY KANSAN
No. 6 Kansas 71, Kansas State 02
Kansas 29 42 — 71
Kansas State 30 32 — 62
BY MARK DENT
Wright 2-5 0-2 4; Kaun 1-1 1-2 3; Robinson 1-4 1-2 3; Chalmers 5-11 4-5
17; Rush 3-9 5-11; Arthur 5-7 3-14; Collins 8-11 2-20; Stewart 0-0
0-1 0; Case 0-9 0-0 0; Jackson 1-0 0-0 0; Totals 25 19-46 27 71.
Scoring
KANSAS
KANSAS STATE
Hoskins 2-15 5-5 9; Colon 0-3 2-2 12; Harris 4-13 0-110; Stewart 5-9 1-2
11; Wright 3-6 1-2 1; Young 0-0 0-0 0; Afeil 1-1 0-1 2; Martin 5-13 5-7 19;
Maybank 0-2 0-0 0; Bennett 0-0 0-0 0; Totals 20-8 12-4 16 20.2
Collins shows his strengths
Kansas 24-4, 11-2 Biq 12; Kansas State 19-9, 8-5
Records
Shot Charts
MANHATTAN — It's no longer a surprise.
Michael Phillips and Amanda Sellers/KANSAN
Sherron Collins has showcased his excellence so many times this season that seeing it in big games is a given.
The Jayhawks capitalized on second chances inside the paint, scoring 13 points to the Wildcats four. After struggling from three-point land early, the Jayhawks regrouped in the second half and finished with 24 percent from behind the arc. The Wildcats started hot and finished slow, finishing at 35 percent. Shot chart information compiled by K-State Athletics.
"The more the pressure, the more he likes it," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "He's a tough cat."
Collins, a freshman guard, led Kansas down the stretch in its 71-62 victory against Kansas State.
With Brandon Rush in foul trouble and Julian Wright non-existent in the stat sheet, someone needed to step up.
Like he did in home games against Missouri and Texas A&M earlier this year, Collins' star shone when the spotlight shined the brightest. Whenever his team needed a basket in the first and second halves, he answered its call.
With just under 12 minutes left in the second half, no one could score for the Jayhawks. The Wildcats had just tied the game at 43, and Kansas needed a lift. Collins had no trouble providing one.
"It was my teammates finding me and getting good screens set for me," Collins said. "It was just a team effort."
He nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key and skipped
his chest to pump the team up. a couple of possessions later he found a hole in K-State's defense, drove through it and threaded a pass to freshman forward Darrell Arthur, who scored to extend Kansas' lead to five.
He wasn't done yet. Collins made another three-pointer to stretch his team's lead to eight. Then he drove to the hoop three possessions in a row, scoring or drawing fouls on each one.
"If you get on his side, he's not going to let you back." Kansas State coach Huggins said. "Once he puts you on his hip, he'll get any shot he wants."
Collins' variety of skills gives him the power to be a difference maker for the Jayhawks. In Monday's game alone, he dribbed the length of the court for transition layups twice, penetrated and scored, penetrated and passed, pulled-up for jumpers and connected on two three-pointers.
This performance and his other impressive ones in conference play show that Collins is not showing any signs of slowing down. The freshman wall that acts as a barrier for most rookies isn't affecting him
"He just working hard on everything," sophomore guard Mario Chalmers said. "He's just getting extra work and staying focused. I
Besides, Collins provides a spark for the laywhacks off the bench. He still gets plenty of minutes — he had 31 on Monday — which is more than enough time to lead his team during crucial situations.
think that's a key for him."
And more than enough time to make a case to be mentioned as one of the nation's ton guards.
"There's a lot of great freshmen point guards out there, but I don't know if there's a lot playing better than this guy," Self said. "He's playing at a pretty high level now"
"Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers are both like big brothers to me," Collins said. "As a team you don't want to mess something up. I'd rather just go for the same starting lineup all year. I don't care if I start or not."
With Collins shredding opposing defenses on a regular basis, it seems likely that he, now the team's sixth man, could become a starter. Self approached Collins about it and told him that he deserved to start. Collins said he knew it, but he didn't want to screw up team chemistry.
Kansan sportswriter Mark Dent can be contacted at mdent@kansan.com.
Edited by Sharla Shivers
Amanda Sellers/KANSAM
Mario Chalmers, sophomore guard, prepares to throw up a shot past Kansas State defender Akeem Wright. Chalmers scored 17 points. Kansas was 15 percent from the field and beat the Wildcats, 71-62.
1st Half
Sherron Collins, freshman guard, throws a layup the leading scoring for the Jayhawks.
Amanda Sellers
Brandon Rush, sophomore guard, jumps for a loose ball while a Kansas State player dives to the floor. Kansas scored six points from turnovers. Rush pulled down three rebounds and scored 11 points for Kansas.
Amanda Sellers/KANSAN
2nd Half
Collini
-Michael Phillips
Top 3 Stars
Freshman guard Sherron Collins is a no-brainer for this accolade. Collins scored a game-
high 20 points off 8-for-11 shooting and 2-for-5 from three-point land.
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